Gordon can thank dryers, late pit strategy for finish

If Jeff Gordon goes on to win his fifth NASCAR championship, he may want to thank the drivers of the jet dryers at Kansas Speedway in his acceptance speech.

If not for the hard work put in by NASCAR's support staff following heavy rains that stopped Sunday's LifeLock 400 for more than two hours, Gordon could very well have awakened Monday facing a 29th-place finish and a 100-plus point deficit to Tony Stewart.

Instead, a multi-car accident shortly after the restart allowed Gordon to get his lap back -- and when Stewart found trouble as a result -- some smart decisions in the pits put Gordon in a position to score a top-five finish, leaving him only a handful of points behind teammate Jimmie Johnson with seven races remaining.

"What a turn of events," Gordon said. "Man, what a crazy race it was today. At one time we were really strong and we fell back a little bit and we fell way back, all the way to 30th.

"[To be able to come back] from that far back, one lap down, to get our lap back and then to come up there all the way to a top-five, I couldn't be happier. What a great job."

Gordon led once for six laps, following a spin by Kenny Wallace, but the No. 24 Chevrolet was a factor all day -- until the rains came for the second time. Running in the top 10, Gordon -- and several other contenders, including leader Kurt Busch -- were forced to pit for fuel on Lap 142 as the skies over Kansas Speedway grew darker.

Gordon took two tires, but with Stewart and eventual winner Greg Biffle staying on the track, he returned to the action one lap down. Three laps later, NASCAR was forced to throw the yellow, followed by the red flag, as the weather deteriorated rapidly.

At that point, all Gordon could do was hope.

"I think NASCAR recognized what is going on in the Chase and what a disaster that was going to be," Gordon said of the possibility of ending the race at that point. "I think that as long as there is daylight, they are going to race."

The rain stopped, the jet dryers did their thing, and with daylight turning to dusk, the field took the green on Lap 155, with Gordon and several others in a similar situation at the front of the field, with the leader mired mid-pack. That would turn out to be a blessing for the No. 24, as Gordon was well ahead of the carnage that ensued when Ken Schrader spun and was collected by several other cars, including Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr., with Stewart suffering a dented left-front fender that would eventually end his day within the next 20 laps.

"I am sure there are some guys that disagree with [NASCAR's decision to resume the race], because of the wreck and some of the things that happened," Gordon said. "From where I was sitting, there was only one call and that was to go back racing. Certainly, we are glad that they did."

Back at the tail end of the lead lap, Gordon pitted twice during that caution and restarted 22nd. Then when Stewart crashed on Lap 175, crew chief Steve Letarte once again called Gordon in for service, this time for fresh rubber and more importantly, adjustments to the car's handling.

It was the perfect call, as Gordon sliced his way through the field. He was 15th by Lap 180, passed three more cars by Lap 190 and was solidly back in the top 10 from that point forward, eventually winding up fifth.

"We had to make some adjustments on the car there and they really paid off, not just the four tires, and we were able to really slice our way through traffic there at the end," Gordon said. "It was awesome."